The eyes glare, a subtle pursuit ensues, and the idea of feeling unwanted results.

That’s often the experience of a Bronx teen shopping any store, as clerks and managers cast a layer of suspicion on teens who simply browse about a store.

“Every time I go to 10 Spot with my friends, I am followed by store personnel and I am given rude looks,” said Kiana Carter, 15, about the women’s clothing store. “I feel pressured, nervous and feel as though they do not trust me and I am not supposed to be there.” When Kiana goes to the Soundview store with friends, she makes sure that they spread out and don’t stay in a dense group. And while Kiana changed the way she shops, 15-year-old patron Veronica Wilson, 15, has not. Veronica still walks into Hot Topic, a store normally known for its gothic clothing, and when employees follow her around, she holds her ground, asking “what’s up?”

Unlike Veronica, Yamel Garcia, 18, has weary feelings upon entering a store. She says that one time she was followed by store personnel in American Eagle, Times Square 42nd Street. They tailed her floor by floor until she left the store. Yamel concluded that her experience varies from borough to borough–when she is in a Bronx store, there’s less of a chance she’ll be followed, but in downtown Manhattan she says she feels as though “they think my group of friends are going to vandalize the store and burn their clothes.”

But not every teen has this problem.

Amar Krcic, 15, has never been followed or asked to leave a store because of his so-called “gringo life,” or Caucasian complexion. He explained that store owners view him less of a problem since he greets them when he walk into stores. But the only time Amar encounters eyes on him in stores is when he’s with his Pakistani friend, Zaheer Babar, 15. The store owners look at them with wary faces and follow them throughout the store. 

Bill of Rights 

Whether they are followed or left alone, teen shoppers are protected under the new Customers Bill of Rights crafted by the Retail Council of New York, a state trade group.

The agreement, drafted in light of two “Shop and Frisk” episodes at Barney’s and at Macy’s last year, protects shoppers by emphasizing four basic rights that include the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, and the right to be heard. There are also four more rights that are based on fairness and an assurance shoppers will experience a safe environment.

Stores that sign the document agree to curb profiling, defined as “the practice of judging and addressing people based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, ancestry, appearance, or any personal or physical characteristics.”

Not all stores, including Toys R Us, have signed the Customers Bill of Rights, but Barney’s, Macy’s Bloomingdale’s, Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue have signed and have agreed to post it in their stores.

Earlier this fall, three teen reporters went to Toys R Us in Bruckner Plaza and were asked to leave, offering no explanation. A representative of the store did not respond to two requests asking about the incident or its plans to sign the Shoppers Bill of Rights.

Regardless of how some store owners profile, others are more accepting of teens. “I have no problems with seeing teenagers at my store, even if there’s lots of them,” said Angel Chukui, who owns a bodega at 1946 Bathgate Ave. “Teenagers have to eat too, plus it’s good business for my store.” His store is near St. Joseph’s School and he sees teens early in morning and when school lets out. “It does, however, concern me when they’re loud and disturbing the other customers,” he said.